1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal having a display device, and an information display method of the mobile communication terminal, in particular, to a mobile communication terminal and an information display method thereof, which are capable of switching between a first display mode and a second display mode. In the first display mode, both first information and second information are displayed by dividing a display screen of a display device. In the second display mode, only the second information is displayed on an entire display screen of the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Very recently, various functions have become available in mobile communication terminals, such as portable wireless telephones and PHS (Personal Handyphone System). As a result of these various functions, a total amount of information to be displayed on a display device is increased, and therefore, a large-sized display screen of the display device is necessarily required.
However, in this sort of mobile communication terminal, the mobile communication terminal has to be necessarily made compact so as to maintain the portability thereof. Accordingly, the mobile communication terminal has a certain limitation in size when the display screen size of the display device is increased.
In this sort of mobile communication terminal, various conditions of the mobile communication terminal have to be displayed so as to secure the communication reliability. That is, the mobile communication terminal should display the setting conditions of the mobile communication terminal, an electric field strength (e.g., an RF signal strength), and a battery energy remaining amount.
As a consequence, in the conventional mobile communication terminal, the display screen of the display device is divided into two display areas. One of the two display areas displays the setting information, the electric field strength, and the battery energy remaining amount of the mobile communication terminal. The other of the display areas displays such information as a telephone number, a character message, and an illustration figure, which are selected by the user operation.
However, when a total amount of user-selected information, such as the above-described telephone number, character message, and illustration figure, to be displayed on the display device is increased, the user-selected information cannot be satisfactorily displayed on the divided display area. Taking these problems into consideration, a so-called “full-screen display function” has been proposed. In the full-screen display function, the indications related to the setting information, the electric field strength, and the battery energy remaining amount are removed from the display screen, and then, several pieces of these information indications may be switchingly displayed on the full-screen of the display device.
However, when the above-explained full-screen display function is employed, the following problem occurs. That is, under such a condition that the display mode is switched to the full-screen display function, the user cannot grasp the setting information, the electric field strength, and the battery energy remaining amount. More specifically, if the user cannot precisely acquire such information as the electric field strength and the battery energy remaining amount, which is periodically changed depending upon the latitude positions and the communication condition of the mobile communication terminal, then not only the communications are brought into troubled conditions, but also the communications are suddenly interrupted.